As I lay dying
by FreedomWithWings
Summary: A one-shot exploring what went through Flynn's mind as he lay bleeding on the floor in the tower. And how he realised what mattered most.


**As I lay dying**

**Death**

This was not how I expected things to turn out.

To be fair, I never doubted that I would die young. With my thieving and raiding, I always thought that my life would end by the hangman's noose. Or maybe I would slip and fall by accident during an escape, and end up tumbling down the roof. Not a pretty sight, but at least it's swift and quick.

But never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that Flynn Rider would die so slowly, bleeding on the floor. It was painful, but it was accompanied by a sense of peace and comfort. The peace was a little unsettling, taking into account the chaos that was happening all around me.

After I cut Rapunzel's hair off, the weariness from the exertion made my eyelids feel like it weighed a hundred tons. I allowed my eyelids to fall, but I left myself a slit to witness the following events. How the witch aged in the span of seconds, and how she fell off the tower. Just to make sure that everything turned out like I planned.

But I didn't think anyone could have imagined how much effort this simple act took. The temptation to close my eyes, to escape from the pain was impossible, something like how a parched man would have jumped into a mirage of an oasis, out of the desire to satiate his thirst. However, I held on, for I knew that I would never forgive myself if I did not do one last thing I had to do. But I still had yet to figure out what it was.

While the pandemonium took place around me, while I tried to put my finger on what the last thing I had to do was, I felt myself falling deeper into a lake of cold water. My mind started to unravel itself, memories filling the void it left behind. In those few minutes, I relived my life again.

In my mind's eye, I saw the astonishment and excitement painted on my siblings' face, as I narrated the stories of the swashbuckling hero all those years ago. I felt the sense of aspiration and longing within me to reach such a pinnacle. For that was success, as I was certain then. Prosperity and riches, those would save me from the pits of destitute I was in my childhood. And I was most certainly going to pursue them, no matter what it took.

The next few years passed in a blur. Images and voices zoomed past me. I next saw myself putting on the mask of Flynn Rider, practicing and perfecting my skills for the upcoming production. The actor proceeded to pull off performances after performances, each one more spectacular than the previous. This diamond necklace, that golden statue. I could see the pride on his face, hear the joy in his voice as he evaded capture again and again.

Yet there seemed to be a barrier between the actor playing myself on stage, and my real self in the audience. Somehow, just somehow, the joy the character was showing did not reach me. Instead, I felt myself falling away, sinking into the dark pits where the audience seats were. I stretched out my hand, desperate pleas tumbling out of my mouth, wishing that the actor would pull me up. But the actor did not hear me, as the stage moved further away. I knew that I was falling into darkness, nothingness. But I resisted its pull, for I knew that there was still one more thing I had to see on the stage.

The light was reduced to its last ray before I vaguely perceived the actor climbing an impossibly tall tower. I saw the beautiful girl within, her golden hair sparkling, innocence shining in her eyes. Her infectious laughter tinkled in the air, which brought the male actor laughing, and it eventually travelled to myself in the audience. Each laughter made the world seem just a little brighter, pulling me out of the dark pits. The stage became closer to me each passing second, and before I knew it, I was right before the stage. And the girl's smile, it chased the last strands of darkness away. I took a deep breath, inhaling the happiness surrounding all of us. A soft chuckle escaped from my lips.

The actor spun around, surprised. He looked at me, realising that I was in the audience watching him all this while.

I looked back at the actor. "What should I do?" I asked.

The actor smiled at me. "Eugene, you always knew."

It was then I realised what was eluding me all this time. I had been wearing a mask, burying myself in the deception that all I ever desired were fortune and wealth. For money, riches, all these turned to naught in the face of death. What transcended all those, stretching from life to death and even beyond, was love. And the girl, Rapunzel, she was what the world fought for, what everything stood for.

The actor, holding the girl in one hand, reached out towards me with his other hand. Smiling, I received it and was brought on stage. Cheers erupted from the audience, as I saw people whom I met and thought I'd never see again in the seats below. My childhood friends, my siblings, my comrades. The actor and I became one, as I took a bow. With applause all around, the stage turned golden and became so bright that I could hardly see anything.

In the bright light, I realised that the face of the world was looking back at me. And this time, I knew what the last thing I had to do was.

"Rapunzel, you were my new dream," I whispered.

"And you were mine." Her response seemed to come from miles away. My vision started to blur, and I knew that this time, it was really the end. I wished that I could have a second chance to treasure what was right. But at least I had no regrets. For I found what I had been searching for my whole life. Her.

Nothingness reached out again, its cold, dark tendrils wrapping around me. This time, I did not resist, surrendering myself to its embrace. One last breath was all it took, as it enveloped and took over me. I became part of it, part of nothing.

**Reborn**

If I was nothing, then why did I hear someone singing?

I could have been in the icy nothingness for seconds, years, or even eternity, before the song came for me.

The melody, sweet yet filled with sadness, came from miles away. It was a single golden ray in the darkness, reaching out towards something I eventually realised as myself. I touched it, and felt a single drop of tear on what used to be my chest. Light blossomed from where the tear landed, and the heat it brought chased the iciness away.

With the illumination, I realised that I was underwater in an aquarium. There was a layer of glass in front of me, separating myself from the world outside. Beyond the glass, I saw the promise the future held. Laughter, marriage, and a sea of red wine. And the hope it embodied, it was so, so near. Without hesitation, I brought my fist back and punched through the glass. Water flowed out, with bright golden light replacing it. I stretched my hand, reaching out to the future, and the future reached out for me.

My eyes opened. I saw a girl with brunette hair looking back at me. Worry shone in the tears glistening in her eyes. And I knew, she was the light that brought me back.

"Rapunzel," I said hoarsely.

Rapunzel's face brightened. "Eugene," she exclaimed eagerly. All of sudden, joy and relief coursed through me. I was glad and thankful that I had a second chance, another opportunity to make things right.

I started, "Did I ever tell you I've got a thing for brunettes?"

**A/N: Happy New Year! If you do not understand the reference to "a sea of red wine" near the end, it happened in "Tangled Ever After" (a short sequel by Disney to "Tangled"). Do watch it, it's really funny! :)**


End file.
